Building a new outdoor workshop! advice needed.

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Dissolve

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After spending a fair bit of time on my sizeable garden shed and turning it into a workshop I've decided I need more space. And my only option is to either buy a larger shed and convert it again or build a bigger shed/outhouse type structure and turn that into a workshop.

First of all, What kind of things would people be concerned about when building such a structure? If I were to make a strong, thick, timber frame, then panel the outside like a garden shed.. Would I be looking to seal every gap and join with sealant to keep it well insulated etc? What kind of flooring would people reccomend? and what type of wall insulation would be desirable?

I'm going to be using it for making instruments and other small projects. eventually looking to house a bandsaw, pillar drill, large bench and some form of extractor.. aside from that it'll only be storage for hand tools!

I'm looking to board the inside out and paint it white/install electrics etc and put a sturdy door/window into it.

Any help and ideas would be great! cheers
 
There are quite a few really detailed threads about workshop building here abouts. Ranging from sheds I would be proud to set up home in to sheds less grand but equally as suitable. Have a good look around, lots of good advice to be found.
xy
 
There are quite a few good shed threads here, but I've done a few (as workshops) and learned by mistakes along the way.
A key principle I think is try and make it as dry as you possibly can (I have said before but they cannot be too dry... it's really easy for them to be too damp.)
So from the ground up, a firm base taking account of the weight of machinery in there, and raise the floor above ground (4 inches or more say) - that's equivalent to a damp course in a house, but leave airflow under so it can breathe.
Do put a damp membrane (sheet, v cheap, builders yard) above the base (concrete beams, bricks whatever) and the sub-floor timbers.
My favourite way of getting the structure up is 50 x 75 or 50 x 100 carcase timber, ready tannelised - again cheap from builders yard or timber merchant... ask for C16 grade (there is C24 which is higher grade but not necessary for this. I use half-lap joints and swear by (sometimes at) Joiners Mate polyurethane (Screwfix), plus those self- piloting screws (like the ones for decking). I only swear at the glue when I need to remove it from fingers,. But it is absolutely ideal for this kind of work.
Cladding the walls - ideally I'd use shiplap as it seals better than feather-edge. Then fill the cavity (say it's 75mm) with some insulation, and board the internal having first run the wiring round in the cavity. Cheap ply 12 or 15mm will do for the walls.
For the roof, I feel pent is better as it drains faster - just board and felt.
And keep the powerpoints quite low say about 45" up ( a bench or table saw say being about 34"). THEN, great trick - a French cleat all the way around the walls just above window / door height. Use that to hang various cabinets and shelves off and you can move them anywhere easily. I did a thread on them ages ago... it's under 'wall storage in the workshop'.
And finally, on French, dig a small trench around the shed, say 9 x 9", fill with pea shingle. Helps stop any standing moisture anywhere near the structure. (Called a French drain but I have no idea why).
Anything you can do to improve dryness and insulation (cheaply) - I recommend you do it!
I love building workshops, if I was nearer I'd be over helping.
 
condeesteso":1zif7rgg said:
There are quite a few good shed threads here, but I've done a few (as workshops) and learned by mistakes along the way.
A key principle I think is try and make it as dry as you possibly can (I have said before but they cannot be too dry... it's really easy for them to be too damp.)
So from the ground up, a firm base taking account of the weight of machinery in there, and raise the floor above ground (4 inches or more say) - that's equivalent to a damp course in a house, but leave airflow under so it can breathe.
Do put a damp membrane (sheet, v cheap, builders yard) above the base (concrete beams, bricks whatever) and the sub-floor timbers.
My favourite way of getting the structure up is 50 x 75 or 50 x 100 carcase timber, ready tannelised - again cheap from builders yard or timber merchant... ask for C16 grade (there is C24 which is higher grade but not necessary for this. I use half-lap joints and swear by (sometimes at) Joiners Mate polyurethane (Screwfix), plus those self- piloting screws (like the ones for decking). I only swear at the glue when I need to remove it from fingers,. But it is absolutely ideal for this kind of work.
Cladding the walls - ideally I'd use shiplap as it seals better than feather-edge. Then fill the cavity (say it's 75mm) with some insulation, and board the internal having first run the wiring round in the cavity. Cheap ply 12 or 15mm will do for the walls.
For the roof, I feel pent is better as it drains faster - just board and felt.
And keep the powerpoints quite low say about 45" up ( a bench or table saw say being about 34"). THEN, great trick - a French cleat all the way around the walls just above window / door height. Use that to hang various cabinets and shelves off and you can move them anywhere easily. I did a thread on them ages ago... it's under 'wall storage in the workshop'.
And finally, on French, dig a small trench around the shed, say 9 x 9", fill with pea shingle. Helps stop any standing moisture anywhere near the structure. (Called a French drain but I have no idea why).
Anything you can do to improve dryness and insulation (cheaply) - I recommend you do it!
I love building workshops, if I was nearer I'd be over helping.

Many thanks for the information! I've had a read through and basically.. I decided to build my own after discovering I have access to a lot of free timber boards.. However it seems after reading I might be leaning towards purchasing it all and make sure it's pressure treated and strong enough to last!

I'm going to price it all up and see what's possible and what's not! Thanks guys!
 
Douglas has covered most points well. On the French drain (named, apparently, after Henry French), use landscaping fabric to keep the dirt out as much as possible. It'll stop working if it silts up. I used the French cleat trick too (not named after Henry French:)) with very good effect.

Give yourself plenty of light, on a circuit separate from the tools. The more power you can supply, the better.

Kirk
 
Hi, new poster here. I've had a workshop built fairly recently - a couple of points you might want to consider :-

1) My workshop is a variation on a horse-stable. Talk to a local stable-maker, they have a vast amount of experience of building strong structures in wood, with substantial floors - horses are heavy and no respecter of walls and doors.. The main differences between a standard stable and my workshop are that it has insulation in the walls and is lined throughout with plywood. I retained the stable door - it's wider than a standard exterior door, and it's nice to have just the top half open on a sunny day. The 1/2" plywood lining is better than plasterboard, as you can screw shelves and cupboards to it regardless of stud positioning (except for really heavy items), and it can be fully fire-proofed before painting. I've also put in a proper double-glazed house window instead of the bit of transparent plastic in 'real' stables.

2) Electrics. Another advantage of the plywood lining is that all the mains wiring can be run in conduits on the inside surface of the shed, making it easy to move the sockets to where you need them (I have a particular loathing of cables trailing across the floor, where a trip-up might send you head first into sharp machinery). Put a locking Emergency-Stop button by the door - as well as it's normal panic-function, this gives you the ability to disable all the machinery when you have visitors (especially children) whilst still leaving the lights working.

3) Condensation on machinery. For years I've used an old Dimplex oil-filled towel-rail on a thermostatically-controlled power socket to prevent condensation in my various sheds, and I have to say it works treat - well worth the few pennies of electricity it costs to run.
 
If I was building a new w.s. I would not consider under 6x3 mtrs. but would like 6x6mtrs.

What does 18 square mtrs cost.

Anyone here want to put their cost per sq. mtr on self build so the original poster know the cost range.
 

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